Minnesota center Mikael Granlund pumps his fist after scoring a goal against Chicago in the second period of game 1 of the second round of the NHL playoffs at United Center in Chicago on Friday, May 1, 2015. (Pioneer Press: John Autey)

For the past three offseasons, the Wild’s road to improvement was obvious.

Three years ago, they signed Zach Parise and Ryan Suter to mega deals. Two years ago, they traded for Jason Pominville and inked him to a long-term contract and added Matt Cooke in free agency. Last summer, they netted one of the biggest free agents available in Thomas Vanek.

But after delving into the free agency pool for three straight years, the Wild’s path to a better team now involves patience, and a bit of unease.

Swept in their second-round playoff series by the Chicago Blackhawks, the Wild are relying on their young players — the early 20-somethings — to take large steps forward.

The Wild don’t have big money to spend this summer, and there aren’t many big-name free agents available, anyway. And at this stage, they’re not looking to add a proven veteran; they have plenty of those already.

To catch up to a Blackhawks team that has eliminated the Wild three years in a row — and embarrassed them this postseason — the Wild have to hope young players such as Mikael Granlund, 23, Jason Zucker, 23, Charlie Coyle, 23, Nino Niederreiter, 22, and Matt Dumba, 20, become better.

Their progress will largely dictate the Wild’s immediate future.

“We say that a lot,” Fletcher said, “but if you look at the growth this year of Niederreiter and Zucker, in particular, (they became) 20-goal scorers. I still think there’s another level they can both get to.”

The Wild’s roster includes two groups: players under 25 yet to enter their prime, and veterans 30 or older.

It’s difficult to expect anything more from the older players — contributing veterans like Parise, Mikko Koivu and Suter — which is why much of the Wild’s progression next season will be dictated by the young ones.

“We’ve got all these guys 22, 23,” Fletcher said. “They haven’t hit their peak; they’re only going to get better. You can’t keep going to market and buying guys all the time. This summer, I don’t think you really want to, anyway. But some of them will get better.”

As they do, they’ll earn more playing time and take away minutes from the established players, and that presents a challenge for the coaching staff.

In order to maintain respect from the veterans, coach Mike Yeo often deferred to the older players, keeping Niederreiter, Zucker and Dumba out of bigger roles on the power play.

For the younger players to take the step the team is counting on, they may need more responsibilities, something Yeo said he is willing to give them — if they earn it.

“That’s what it comes down to,” Yeo said. “You look at Jason Zucker and what he accomplished this year. If he continues to go the way that he has, then he will earn more. … Nino’s earned more, and that’s what we need these guys to continue doing.

“But as these young guys keep getting better, it’s going to challenge those (older) guys a little bit more and it will make us a better team.”

If the Wild re-sign goalie Devan Dubnyk and Granlund, two transactions that are expected, they won’t have much space before they near the salary cap ceiling, which was $69 million last season.

After losing in four games to the Blackhawks, Fletcher now faces a tough offseason without any obvious avenues for improvement. Instead, he has to wait and hope that the team’s young players get better.

“None of them have hit their prime or hit their peak,” Fletcher said. “So that’s where the growth is going to come and we’ll see what other opportunities are out there.”

Chad Graff joined the Pioneer Press in April of 2013 -- long enough to cover three straight Wild playoff exits at the hands of the Blackhawks -- after working for the Philadelphia Inquirer and Boston Globe. He's lived in California and Texas, but most recently spent a decade in New Hampshire. He watched New England fans celebrate seven championships in his time there, yet somehow his only sports allegiance lies with Nebraska football.

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